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As an information technology contractor in Iraq, Justin Porto endures ambushes and mortar attacks as he works with the country's government to rebuild its communications and IT infrastructure.

An employee of MPRI, a division of L-3 Communications Inc., the retired lieutenantcolonel is about six months into a one-year stint under a State Department contract.

Porto, who served 28 years in the Army, shared some of his "Friends and Family"e-mail messages with Washington Technology. Here are excerpts that give a glimpse ofone contractor's life in Iraq.

Cultural differences

Many of the things that areaccepted in America are notgood here, like using your lefthand to point or gesture (left isevil in Iraq), or crossing yourlegs when sitting (you do notshow the soles of your feet as itis disrespectful) or touchingany woman even to shakehands. I have violated theserules many times, but I am trying.If you smile, people knowyou mean well, so I smile a lot.

Inside a palace

The weather is getting coolerhere, and yesterday, with asmall group, I was able to getinto the locked area of thepalace adjoining our compound,which gives us greatprotection from insurgent mortarand rocket fire.

A nice Iraqi general, when hemet me, told my interpreterthat I looked like an Americanmovie star. I asked who and hesaid Tom Cruise. Go figure.About a week later, anAmerican colonel told me that[the Iraqi general had been]assassinated by insurgents. Hewas kidnapped by armed gunmenon his way home from theIraqi Defense Ministry, wherewe both work. He somehowescaped from the trunk of the car.He ran home to find that oneof his three daughters hadalready been abducted. A callcame from the insurgentstelling him to turn himselfover, or his daughter would bekilled. He went; they releasedhis daughter and executed him.He was a good and helpfulman.

It was a relatively quiet trip,except for a little excitementwhen we were radioed that asuspected VBIED (VehicleBorne Improvised ExplosiveDevice, a.k.a., car bomb) wassitting up ahead.

Iraqi police went to investigateas we gave it a wide berth.We did not hear an explosion,so we assumed it was a falsealarm, or they caught theinsurgents prior to detonation.

Soccer diplomacy

I get strange looks as I kickmy soccer ball off concrete barriersand buildings [during]my morning runs.

I have recently begun to passthe ball to the Iraqi police,building guards and even someIraqi citizens. I have found anew way to win the hearts andminds of the people: Soccer.Just outside our compound apickup truck with three Iraqipolicemen is always stationed.I give a long pass to a differentcop each time I complete aloop on my run. They pass itaround and do some trickssuch as a rainbow pass overtheir own heads.

Yesterday, they started passingamongst themselves, laughingand saying stuff I could notunderstand. It became obviousthat they wanted me to try andget the ball back from them. SoI became the defender as theypassed the ball amongst thethree of them in the classic soccerwarm-up game three versusone.

It took me about five minutesof crazily running back andforth until I was able to stealthe ball back from one of them.We continued to play ... for 30minutes as traffic buzzed by.I was exhausted finally andwent home. But not before oneyoung Iraqi policeman pattedme heartily on the back andshook my hand with [a] big"Shukkran," thank you inArabic.

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